Well, we do have more to our lives than wines and weddings, but that's all we seem to write about.
This time the wedding was in the Horsham district in western Victoria, between Doug (the son of our friends Joan and Alan) and Deidre. The ceremony itself was in the church at Minyip, the nearest town to Deidre's home, with the reception at the Mechanics Institute in nearby Murtoa.
But first we had to get there.
We could have done the trip comfortably in two days' travel each way, but where's the fun in that? Instead we chose to meander through a series of wine regions on the way to Horsham, and then to go to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road and finally to arrive back in Canberra after two weeks.
The view from the cottage to the King Valley
Our first stop was in a cottage at Taminick, near the site of Ned Kelly's last stand at Glenrowan. From there we were in striking distance of the wineries at Rutherglen, Glenrowan and the King Valley. The more notable ones were Stanton & Killeen, Campbell's, Wood Park and Pizzini. Of these, Pizzini was the stand-out favourite, with a warm welcome from Fred and his family and some very good Italian varietals.
Other places that we enjoyed were the Milawa Cheese Factory and the King River Cafe, where the coffee is good.
Cynthia and Kerry in the vineyard, while Harriet looks out for Phylloxera bugs
After two nights we checked out of the cottage, said farewell to the native birds and the rabbits and the fox, and headed off south to Tooborac, just near Seymour. We'd arranged with Cynthia Harbor of McIvor Estate to drop in and sample their wine. (This and other places to visit had been suggested by Tasso Rovolis from Benchmark in Canberra) She was a fine hostess and entertained us for a couple of hours, telling us the story of the vineyard and all the ways they'd been welcomed by the locals.
After that, we went on to stay the night in Bendigo and to spend an hour or so the next morning in their regional Art Gallery.
The miner's cottage and water tanks
Then we drove on to Ararat, where we'd booked a miner's cottage at Cathcart. We were welcomed there by Peter and later met his wife Jenny, and they both made our stay delightful - even laying on a comet viewing each night, and eggs from the harem of the noisy rooster each morning.
Our first full day there was spent in the Grampians, which were only just recovering from a disastrous fire twelve months previously. Despite the hot day we were comfortable as we drove around the countryside of the park, which is much more extensive than you'd think as you approach it.
Then, we ventured out to the local wineries - which aren't numerous but they make up for it in quality. Seppelts is the biggest and most organised, and Best's is pretty good, but the one with the finest wines was Cathcart Ridge Estate, just down the road from the cottage. We visited fifteen cellar doors on this trip and in all but one we were just about the only ones there at the time. Luxury! And Cathcart Ridge was the perfect example - it was the end of the day, the young man there was willing to talk and the wines were all good (even the Shiraz/Pinot Noir blend).
The following day was Australia Day, so there wasn't much open during our trip to Horsham and it was quite a hot one. They'd had a little rain a few days before our arrival (enough for the occasional car to get bogged out on the country roads) but the weather stayed warm and fine all the time around the wedding, which was good news for some.
As for Doug and Deidre's big day, well it was fun and we met some old friends and made a few new ones. We travelled back to Horsham on the complimentary midnight bus (Deidre had warned us that Murtoa's only cop knew that the wedding was on and he'd be on the lookout for any misbehaviour).
The other happy couple
After a lunch at Deidre's family farm the next day, we headed off for Port Fairy on the coast. Our home for two nights was another cottage - this time a "whaler's cottage", or what a whaler's cottage might have looked like had it been built a few years ago for a very succesful latter-day Ahab. It was good and comfortable with a duck-laden pond outside the dining room door.
Port Fairy is a seaside resort with quite a few cottages - and a wharf, a tiny lighthouse, a mutton bird sanctuary and plenty of walks. It also has the Time & Tide Gallery and Restaurant just a few Km to the west, which offers good food, a stunning coastal view and the odd bit of art.
The Whaler's Cottage across the pond
All too soon we were on the road again - in this case the Great Ocean Road, where we spent the morning admiring the rock formations before heading inland towards Melbourne. After checking into our hotel just opposite the Botanical Gardens, we headed off to have dinner with Rosy's prospective grandparents-in-law. Polly and Peter Park are a fine gracious couple, who used to have the best garden in Canberra but now are waiting to move into an apartment in Melbourne. We spent a good night with them, their son Tom and his wife Cathy.
The next day we woke to the sound of trams rattling along St Kilda Road, so we watched them from the balcony as we had a relaxed breakfast. Then we headed off to the National Gallery of Victoria for a touch of culture and then to the movies to see the Queen. We finished the day by catching up with one of Judith's old friends and a meal at Southgate.
On Thursday, we took a walking tour through the city's lanes and arcades (including a curious little camera museum) and then proceeded to Carlton to have a pleasant lunch with some more of Judith's friends from long ago. After a little more shopping we went off to have dinner with Jenni, another long-time friend. Next morning, in our final bout of socialising we had a long long coffee in the cafe downstairs with David. And so, sated with dining and shopping, we headed off to Beechworth.
One of Melbourne's fine arcades
Beetling up the Hume is a good way of spending the day (especially if you're listening to a Terry Pratchett audiobook), and we made it back to the King River Cafe for lunch, where we found that their potato bake / roesti is also good.
Then it was only a short hop to Beechworth, where there was enough time for a leisurely walk around the historical precinct, a dip in the motel pool and a very good meal in the courtyard of the Bank restaurant.
Perfect poached eggs for breakfast in Beechworth
There's not much to say about the last day of the trip, except that it was hot, we listened to more of Pterry and there was a brief rain shower as we reached Canberra in mid-afternoon.
We had a good time!